


Atoms and Aliens

by spoilersweetie



Category: Doctor Who RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-07
Updated: 2012-10-07
Packaged: 2017-11-15 19:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/530963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spoilersweetie/pseuds/spoilersweetie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He has a wife now, River Song. But I don't think he does anything with her. I think he just talks about atoms and aliens and stuff."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Atoms and Aliens

Sitting in his flat very late after a long evening, Matt smiles when his phone rings and Alex’s name flashes on his call screen. “Hello?”

“Atoms and aliens!?”

He frowns, blinking at the strange greeting. “Uh…o-kay?”

“Honey, do you _really_ that’s what the Doctor and River do when they’re alone together because if that’s the case I’ve been playing their relationship _all wrong._ ”

Matt blinks into the phone for a few seconds until it clicks what the hell she is on about. _Of course._ His interview on Chatty Man earlier that night. He vaguely remembers saying something like that now - and Alex must have watched it. He barks out a laugh. 

“I’m not laughing,” comes Alex’s sharp voice through the phone and Matt shuts up immediately. “Do you seriously think he isn’t shagging her because _where were you_ when we shot that last episode!?”

“Uh -” He chuckles nervously. “Well I don’t know - I just said that I suppose - what did I say exactly again?” His interviews are always a bit of a blur; his mouth just seems to run without him really registering what comes out of it. 

“You said - and I quote - ‘I don’t think he really does anything with her, I think he just talks about atoms and ailens and _stuff.’”_

“…About River?”

“Of course about River! You know, his _wife.”_

“…Oh.” Another nervous laugh and Matt scratches the back of his head. “Did I really say that?” He says, although he knows full well he did. 

_“Yes.”_

“Oh.” He says, and when the other end of the line is silent he assumes she is waiting for some sort of explanation. “Well. You know…I dunno. He’s just…the _Doctor_ , isn’t he? And he’s just - I dunno…”

“Not really that sexual?”

“What?”

“That’s what you also said.”

“Oh. Well yeah - I mean, he’s not is he?”

There is a pause. “Were you even _at_ the shooting of The Angels Take Manhattan!? Or was it your clone - because seriously Matthew, there’s flirting, and then there’s _flirting,_ and from where I was standing we were definitely _flirting.”_

“Um -” She sounds cross and for the life of him he can’t understand why. “Well yes. We were. Flirting, I mean.”

“Yes!” She says. “And are you honestly telling me what while we were doing this flirting you _weren’t_ thinking about shagging me!?” There is a short, sharp silence, and Alex gasps softly. “I mean - as the Doctor!” She quickly says, her voice a bit high-pitched. “Thinking about shagging _River.”_

Matt holds the phone to his ear and is silent. She’d said…she’d _said…_

He swallows hard. “Is that what _you_ were thinking about?” He finally answers, his voice suddenly a bit hoarse.

“What?” She squeaks. 

“…Shagging me?”

“Well - as River, yes,” she quickly answers. “I mean - they’re married Matt!” She says, sounding like she’s starting to ramble nervously. “I’ve always played it that she knew him intimately - an older version of him at least, I mean some of the _lines_ \- of course she’s slept with him! - But I assumed that this Doctor _was_ that older version - I mean what were you doing!? Two people aren’t that close and, and _familiar_ with each other when they’re not sleeping together - why wouldn’t they be!? They’re _married!”_

Matt blinks after her rant. He feels a lot like he is being told off and he’s not sure why she’s so angry with him. “I’m…sorry?” He says, because he feels like he should be. 

Alex huffs. “Please tell me we haven’t been on two totally different pages with this whole relationship?”

He pauses to consider her words. Of course - they haven’t. He’s always sort of loved the idea that his character and hers are… _like that_. He loves flirting with her - on screen and off - and he loves pretending she is his wife a little more than he probably should. Because she is _Alex_ , the most alluring, flirtatious woman he has ever met and he’d be lying if he said he hasn’t had the hugest crush on her from the moment they met. 

But something about the way she is so cross about the idea that he doesn’t think of them that way…and the way she had sounded so flustered after slipping out a ‘me’ instead of ‘River’ when asking if he thought about shagging her made him _wonder…_

What if?

What if she had a thing for him as much as he did her? What if he’d been an idiot this whole time, disregarding any sapling of an idea in his head because the mere thought of her ever being seriously interested was ridiculous? 

Matt swallows, and runs a hand through his hair. “Of course I was thinking about shagging you,” he quickly mutters before he can loose his nerve.

He thinks he hears Alex’s breath catch but he’s not sure. He _hopes_ he heard her breath catch. 

“As - as the Doctor?” She asks, her voice _definitely_ quiet and tentative - almost as if she doesn’t want the confirmation she’s asking for. 

He _hopes_ she doesn’t. Because if he’s read this all wrong…

“No,” Matt says. “Not as the Doctor.”

Alex is silent - he can’t even hear her breathing which he assumes means she’s stopped which he assumes - _hopes_ \- means it’s a good thing…

“Matt,” she suddenly says, her voice quiet and breathing shallow now that she’s started again. 

He cuts her off before she can continue. “Was it me, Alex? Or the Doctor?”

“I -” She pauses, and he hears her take a deep breath. “You.”

Matt can’t help the grin that is suddenly splitting his face in two. 

“And,” he says through his giddiness, “of course we’ve been on the same page - all the way.”

He can hear her grin in her voice when she asks, “Then why did you say that?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know,” he says, because he really doesn’t. “Maybe…denial. Maybe I didn’t want people to know how badly I have it for my co-star - because I’ve always thought it would slip out eventually.”

She giggles down the phone, actually _giggles_ , and the sound makes his heart skip and speed up a bit. “I love the sound of your laugh,” he says, his voice suddenly low and intense and his words surprising him. 

She goes quiet. “…Matt?” Alex says softly, suddenly sounding serious. 

“Yeah?”

“I…” He thinks he hears her swallow. “I’m in LA at the moment, but…the next time I’m over - soon -…do you…want to…”

“To meet up?” He asks quickly, already feeling a thrill of excitement at the thought. 

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Good,” he can hear her grin, “We should do. We should get together to…to -”

“To what?” He teases, grinning too. 

“Oh you know,” she replies, her tone flirtatious, and he can just see her with the phone held to her ear, that smirk he loves playing about her lips. “…Talk about atoms and aliens.”

Matt laughs out loud. 

“I would love that.”

Atoms and aliens _indeed._


End file.
